London to Brighton place needed

SouthallAddick

Desperately need a place on London to Brighton for British Heart Foundation. Will pay of course. So if you can't do it, I'll buy it from you..

I can be reached at ben.schofield@iam.org.uk

Thanks

Ben

Clever Pun

why exactly? Have you raised a bunch of money on the sly or just want to ride it?

if it's the latter just turn up near the start and join in

Gazzaputt

Clever Pun wrote:

why exactly? Have you raised a bunch of money on the sly or just want to ride it?

if it's the latter just turn up near the start and join in

+1

It is held on public roads so feel free to join in. Just don't collect a medal at the end!

prj45

and er, do it on a day when millions of other cyclists won't be doing it!

kelsen

There's also London to Oxford/Cambridge/Southend/Hastings/Paris/etc as alternatives

DonDaddyD

Oh come on lets not shite on the guys sense of achievement.

I did it last year, loved it, learned that if I ride long enough I can smell my ankles.

So many memories and yeah sure it got annoying in places where bottle necks happened usually at the start of steep hills where everyone's walking so you have to. But even that doesn't ruin the experience.

I've been to brighton so many times but never on a bike and the picture of my bike by the pier is probably the most special time I've ever been there.

I'm glad I did it as part of the ride as the medal does remind me of my achievement.

Would I do it again, yes.

Ben, I hope you find a space to do it.

Failing that. Wait by Clapham South trainstation and join a group of cyclist and do it for free... Go early to avoid congestion. (make sure you have arrangements to get home)

EKE_38BPM

But thats the point. You don't need a place to do it. Just join in and you still get the sense of achievement.

If you have collected money for charity, do the ride and collect a medal.
If you havent collected money for charity, do the ride but don't take a medal.
If you're hard, ride back to London.
If you're really hard (like me) ride back to North London.

DonDaddyD

EKE_38BPM wrote:

But thats the point. You don't need a place to do it. Just join in and you still get the sense of achievement.

I enjoyed the ride more because I did through the BHF, paid for it and got a medal at the end. I felt a part of it.

I look at the medal now and it reminds me of that day that I loved. It's been something I've always wanted to do.

I would have enjoyed it less had i just tagged along. But that's just me.

Aidy

EKE_38BPM wrote:

But thats the point. You don't need a place to do it. Just join in and you still get the sense of achievement.

Yeah, I'm the same. I don't really need other people to tell me I've done something, or a shiny trinket to validate something for myself.

Headhuunter

L2B always sounds like a nightmare anyway, everyone says that it just turns into a walk at the slightest hint of an uphill....

CiB

All of the above is correct, but I'll side with DDDDD on this one - you ought to do it once, maybe twice even, to enjoy being part of the whole circus but then it's ticked off your list and you can move onto other things that don't involve negotiating a million noobs, any one of whom is liable to send you spinning into the undergrowth unless your spidey senses are on full beam pretty much all the way there.

veronese68

Done it twice a few years ago. Good fun and glad I did it. Leave really early to avoid the bottlenecks. Only downside was that the pubs weren't open by the time I got there. Did the off road version last year. In aid of the British Heart Foundation again. Rather further and harder but felt really good having done it. Nowhere near as many people either. I'd do it again this year if it wasn't on my sons birthday.

EKE_38BPM

Headhuunter wrote:

L2B always sounds like a nightmare anyway, everyone says that it just turns into a walk at the slightest hint of an uphill....

Yeah, for the first half of the ride or so the noobs get off and walk at the slightest sniff of an incline. If this happens on a narrow road (like most of the roads are) this creates a road block that forces everyone to walk up.
I call the first half the London to Brighton bike walk.

After the crowd has thinned out its much better and you can ride relatively freely. I've done L2B twice and I've ridden up Ditchling Beacon both times and the walkers make it much harder. If only they had the sense to walk on the left and leave the right side of the road clear for the riders. This is true of the whole ride though.
Coming down Ditchling is a nice down hill run into Brighton and I've nudged 60mph whilst shouting "KEEP LEFT!"

For all noobs, keep left if there are faster cyclists around and don't walk if you can ride.
Personally, I've done it twice and doubt I'll be doing it again unless a friend/colleague wants some support. I'd much rather do it when there aren't 50,000+ other cyclists around.

DonDaddyD

I started the ride about 8.00am


No problems going down Dicthling. Had to walk up it :x I was in proper good form and had a rhythm wanted so bad to ride to the top but couldn't too many people.

Back on going down Ditchling I had my brakes partially engaged the whole way down it. Once at the bottom I could feel the heat coming from my rims....

Only two other hills I can remember walking up. Other than that it was very much a free flowing, which allowed me to sprint many many times over. I even manage to chase Monkey Monster down, having left 30mins before me! 8)

(I'd do it again to support someone else, probably wouldn't do it again for myself. still glad i did it and the medal proves it!)

Pufftmw

Doing it this year for the first time - got a team entered & we're having an unofficial race with our old CEO's team. He now owns a brewery so I don't think beer in Brighton will be a problem

Bikequin

I've done it for the last couple of years and its nice to ride on closed roads - I've also done a couple of times with just a group of friends. But to be honest its not actually a very nice ride. I'd much prefer to go down and do the same distance around Surrey

Kieran_Burns

Pufftmw wrote:

Doing it this year for the first time - got a team entered & we're having an unofficial race with our old CEO's team. He now owns a brewery so I don't think beer in Brighton will be a problem

I want to be on your team :P

Gazzaputt

IMO it is the worst ride you can do.

A large percentage of the riders are are liability to themselves and others.

Southend ride is marginally better.

CiB

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Pufftmw wrote:

Doing it this year for the first time - got a team entered & we're having an unofficial race with our old CEO's team. He now owns a brewery so I don't think beer in Brighton will be a problem

I want to be on your team :P

I wouldn't get your hopes up. I did it a couple of times with a group from Aston Martin when they were still based in Newport Pagnell. Still waiting... [did get a nice AM branded cap though. Cheers fellahs. ]

mickybhoy

You don't need an official place, just get there early.
I've ridden it the last 4 years in a row. Always get a 6 or 6:30 start, otherwise not worth it. Plenty of room on Ditchling if you leave at those sort of times. Also ridden back to SE London, so last year - including ride to the start - was 125 miles. Cram in those cakes on the way down, though.

richVSrich

i'm doing it this year for the first time - im new to this cycling malarkey so havent ridden that distance before, but think im well up for it! i hope you get to join in mate!

im goingto try and get in reasonably early - i saw some vids of the bottlenecks on youtube!